Manufacturing Engineering: March 2021
The March 2021 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.

Automation in the Age of COVID-19
February 16, 2021
The longstanding trend toward manufacturing automation has understandably been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Automation for Everyone
February 18, 2021
Automating job shops is accelerating, driven by the combined influence of Industry 4.0, the continued shortage of skilled manufacturing labor and the COVID pandemic.

The Connected Control
February 22, 2021
Ethernet ports first started appearing on CNC lathes and machining centers more than 20 years ago.

Parting and Grooving for the Long Haul
February 24, 2021
Some trends in machining remain constant. Machine speeds continue to increase. Difficult-to-cut materials are used more frequently.

Simulation Software Meets the Need for Speed
February 26, 2021
Toolpath simulation software gives manufacturers assurance that their machine tools will cut parts quickly and accurately, which is particularly useful when machining expensive materials like titanium or Inconel.
Shop Solutions
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Tooling & Workholding
Bike Maker Discovers Time and Cost Savings with Specialty Toolholders
March 2, 2021Bicycles are one of the oldest modes of transportation, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t evolved with the times. -
Tooling & Workholding
Advanced Toolholding Secures Part Quality for High End Job Shop
March 4, 2021From the moment Norbert Kozar, CEO, took charge of Precision Swiss Products Inc. in 2007, he steered the Milpitas, Calif.-based job shop on a trajectory toward achieving both ISO 13485 certification and AS 9100 certification in a few short years.
Up Front
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Manufacturing Management
GM Electrifies its Future
March 3, 2021General Motors dropped a fuel bomb on the auto industry at the end of January. Specifically, it said the fuel of the future for many of its vehicles will be electricity, not gasoline. For an iconic company like GM, that news is beyond big.
SME Speaks
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SME Speaks
Assessing and Reducing Technical Debt in Design and Manufacturing
February 25, 2021Technical debt is not on your balance sheet, not addressed on your roadmap and often an afterthought, but ultimately can be the difference between executing swiftly and being paralyzed as you scale, grow and support your product(s).
Advanced Manufacturing Now
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Manufacturing Management
PPE Helps Dental Students Complete Training
February 19, 2021The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the University of Detroit’s dental education programs in early 2020, and reopening them depended in part on securing adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep the students safe. -
Tooling & Workholding
Using Spring-Loaded Fixtures in Automation
February 23, 2021Part holding fixtures are critical for precisely holding and locating parts. Most such fixtures use locators for positioning.
CEO Roundtable
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Manufacturing Management
An Insider Perspective on Manufacturing’s Future
February 15, 2021Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with four other industry executives to discuss the future of manufacturing, the impact of COVID-19, aspects of manufacturing that will change, and industry collaboration.
Viewpoints
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Manufacturing Management
Dispelling Factory Automation Myth #1
February 17, 2021Automating machining operations is at the top of the list of goals for most manufacturers, as needs and capital expenditure budgets allow.